Sir,
It was very sad to read the ill-informed criticism of the recent Pembrokeshire South East Energy Group meeting in the edition of the Tenby Observer of July 17.
Much as we would agree with your letter writer in respect of the need for energy conservation and the speedier development of effective methods of harnessing tidal power, the rest of his letter merely rehashes oft stated myths.
On climate change he does not seem to accept the basic science involved. He would be well advised to study the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fourth Assessment Report which was published in 2008. The IPCC is seen internationally as the authority on climate change. People from over 130 countries contributed to this report over the previous six years. These included more than 2500 expert scientists. All agreed that most of the increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid 20th century has a 90 per cent likelihood of having occurred as a result of human activity causing increased greenhouse gas emissions. The implications of this for global climate, sea level and rainfall distribution by the end of this century are deeply worrying.
The wind industry does not receive direct subsidies from the Government. There is a mechanism called the Renewables Obligation which encourages energy generators and suppliers to create renewable energy to meet the UK's targets. The costs involved in this are met by the utility companies. Some of this will be passed to the consumer. Last year this was estimated to be approximately £8 per household - wind contributed about £2.67 to this. Wind produces clean energy with no polluting CO2 emissions. It offers a self-sufficient source of power on our own doorstep and onshore wind is currently the most economical source of renewable energy. Also it has to be said that not a single nuclear power station in the world has been built without government subsidy.
To imply that the wind industry does not consider local residents could not be further from the truth. The EU directives on public participation have to be adhered to -local people have to be consulted and their concerns have to be addressed.
It is true that wind does not blow all the time in one place and blows more strongly some days than others. However, it does produce a reliable source of energy 70-80 per cent of the time. The UK has 40 per cent of the wind resource of Europe. Demand for electricity is greatest in winter - the windiest time of the year. It has never been suggested that wind should be the only source of electricity. A mix of generators is needed. All go off-line at some time. In fact, a recent report of NGOs stated that 'thermal plant breakdowns generally pose more of a threat to the stability of electricity networks than the relatively benign variations in the output of wind plant'.
On CO2 payback you correspondent is also wrong. A wind turbine will pay back the energy used in its manufacture within three to 10 months. Over its lifetime, it will produce 30 times more energy than was used in its manufacture. This compares favourably with coal or nuclear, which deliver only a third of the total energy used in construction and fuel supply. There is no comparison in decommissioning costs - the last estimate for the existing nuclear plants was calculated as possibly being as high as £100 billion - a cost borne by the tax payer.
The need for pylons depends on where the turbine is erected and the strength of the grid in that area. Pembrokeshire, for historical reasons, has a strong local grid network. In fact, some may say that in parts of the county they are so numerous and obvious that a wind turbine would hardly be noticed amongst them!
Contrary to the suggestion that wind turbines deter tourists, the evidence that exists suggests the opposite. The UK's first commercial wind farm at Delabole attracted 350,000 visitors in its first 10 years of operation. A MORI poll in Scotland found that 80 per cent of tourists would be interested in visiting a wind farm and developers of wind farms are often asked to provide visitor centres and viewing platforms.
Recent studies have shown no danger to human health from the very low levels of low frequency noise or from the imperceptible vibrations produced by wind turbines. There was also no evidence in a report produced by chartered surveyors who looked at house sales in 2006 in the area around the Taff Ely wind farm of any adverse effect on house prices.
It should be noted that modern wind turbines start up at force 3 on the Beaufort Scale (gentle breeze) and shut down at force 10.
It is to be hoped that these observations will have helped to dispel some of the myths surrounding wind turbines. PSEEG supports all forms of sustainable renewable energy and find it sad that a small section of society feel more threatened by wind power than the consequences of global warming.
Vian Roberts,
Chairman,
PSEEG,
Saundersfoot.